Electro-bunch attachment

ABSTRACT

Prevention of winding bad bunches on bobbins in a manually doffed spinning frame when the traverse chain or mechanism is incompletely rewound is effected by a double switch actuated by a projection or cam on a spinning frame ring rail. When the traverse chain is completely rewound, the ring rail can rise only sufficient to maintain a switch closed but not sufficient to rock the switch to a position where it opens and closes a second switch. In this case a latching relay is actuated by a timing delay circuit closed and the spinning cycle continues. If the traverse chain has not been completely rewound at the start of winding the ring rail rises to a position where the second of the above switches is closed before the latching relay, and this results in stopping the spinning frame, which can only be started by manual reset.

United States Patent Trotter 51 June 13, 1972 3,604,643 9/1971 Kimura et al. ..242/264 Primary Examiner-John Petrakes Attorney-Robert Ames Norton, Michael T. Frimer and Saul Leitner [5 7] ABSTRACT Prevention of winding bad bunches on bobbins in a manually dofted spinning frame when the traverse chain or mechanism is incompletely rewound is effected by a double switch actuated by a projection or cam on a spinning frame ring rail. When the traverse chain is completely rewound, the ring rail can rise only sufficient to maintain a switch closed but not sufficient to rock the switch to a position where it opens and closes a second switch. In this case a latching relay is actuated by a timing delay circuit closed and the spinning cycle continues. If the traverse chain has not been completely rewound at the start of winding the ring rail rises to a position where the second of the above switches is closed before the latching relay, and this results in stopping the spinning frame, which can only be started by manual reset.

4 Claim, 3 Drawing Figures I PATENTEDJuu13 m2 3.669.366

INVENTOR MARVIN N. TROTTER ATTORNEY ELECTRO-BUNCH ATTACHMENT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Spinning frames which wind a large number of bobbins simultaneously have been used for many years in very large numbers in the textile industry. When such a spinning frame is started, either at the beginning of operation at the start of a day or a week or after completely wound bobbins have stopped the machine and have been doffed and empty bobbins donned manually, a ring rail, which carries a yarn guide in the form of a traveler for each ring, is raised by counterweights on a number of shafts along the length of the frame. The ring rail can only raise to a certain point, when it is stopped by a traverse chain. At the same time a cam oscillates the ring rail from this position by means of a cam rotated by the main drive of the spinning frame, and this results in an oscillation which winds a short layer onto each bobbin. This short initial layer is known as a bunch," and this nomenclature will be used throughout the specification. At the end of one turn of the cam, a small amount of traversing chain is released by a ratchet wheel mechanism and the next layer starts a little higher and extends a little further up. This is repeated until the bobbin is fully wound, at which time a switch stops the machine and the bobbins are manually doffed and empty bobbins donned. At this time the traverse chain is rewound manually to the starting position for the ring rail in the next winding cycle. If the operator forgets to rewind the traverse chain or does not rewind it completely, the ring rail starts at a higher position than normal and imperfectly wound bobbins result, which are usually referred to as bad bunches. A bad bunch will usually have an insufficient amount of yarn in the bunch, (in linear feet). In such a case, when the bobbin is used in a loom and the loom senses yarn is about to run out, in weft bobbins there is not enough yarn left in the bad bunch to get back to the side of the loom where an empty bobbin is ejacted from the shuttle and a full bobbin is injected. The yarn will, therefore, run out toward the center of a pick, and the loom stops. A bad bunch may also result from the bunch being positioned too high on the bobbin In such a case also the loom will sense that a bobbin is empty in the middle of a pick, and the same problem arises. It should be noted that when there is a bad bunch on a bobbin, not only does the loom stop, but the end of the weft occurring in the middle of a pick may also be noticeable as a defect in the fabric. Theoretically the operator should always rewind the traverse chain completely before starting a new cycle, but this is sometimes forgotten, and the resulting losses from bad bunches occur sufficiently frequently to cause a real problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention utilizes electrical connections and a simple rocking switch operated by a cam or projection on the end of the ring rail. This switch has two positions: In the first position, when properly operating, one switch should be closed and the other open. After the first layers are wound in the first oscillation of the ring rail by its cam, the first switch opens and the second switch closes. In the meantime, during this operation, which takes a finite time, a timing circuit has been started; and if the ring rail is in its proper starting position, i.e., the traverse chain has been fully rewound, this time is sufficient so that the proper length of yarn is wound on the bunch on each bobbin. When the timing circuit has finished its timed cycle, it actuates a latching relay, one contact of which is in the motor circuit, oscillating in steadily rising small strokes as the conventional timing chain is gradually released by the ratchet wheel letting out a little chain at the end of each rotation of the oscillating cam. This continues until the bobbin is fully wound, at which time the conventional full bobbin knock-off switch bears down the ring rail, the spinning frame is stopped, and the full bobbins are dofied manually and empty bobbins donned.

If the operator has forgotten to rewind the traversing chain completely before a new winding cycle is started, the ring rail can rise higher to a point where it has only momentarily or instantaneously closed the first switch and has then opened it and closed the second switch. There is not sufficient time for the timed latching relay to latch, and the spinning is stopped before a bad bunch can be wound on the bobbins. The traverse chain can then be completely rewound, but-the machine will not start winding again until manually reset. This prevents unintended winding of bad bunches on a large number of bobbins in a frame which either have to be rejected or are inferior or unsatisfactory for use and represent an economic loss. It is only when, after a full rewind of the traverse chain, the ring rail is raised only to its norrnalpoint for the first oscillation, which closes one of the switches while still maintaining the other open, that a fully timed cycle results and latching relays pemiit continuing winding of the bobbins which have been properly started and which, therefore, are wound with good bunches.

The present invention prevents winding bad bunches without any supervision and alerts the operator unambiguously to incomplete rewinding of the traverse chain by the stopping of the winding, frame. In addition, the present invention has a further advantage that when new employees are being trained, the trainer can deliberately rewind a traversing chain incompletely and point out to the new trainee what hap pens, because the machine stops and the start of the bad bunch on each bobbin, or one or two test bobbins, is very conspicuous. This is an added advantage which is obtained without additional mechanism and permits a training function as well as the normal and all important prevention of winding bad bunches on bobbins.

In addition to the principle operation of the present invention, the essential features of which have been briefly described above, it is also possible to guard against tampering or accidental brief operation of the switch during the weekend or when the machine is being cleaned. This is effected by a timing circuit or timed relay or a locked switch compartment, and which may have a timing cycle of about ten seconds. In normal operation the timer contacts close when the ring rail is borne down and the doffer is preparing to mark the yarn and then to doff fullbobbins and don empty bobbins. This timer contact is closed when thering rail isborne down, and since this relay rests the latching relay immediately on normal bearing down, the time cycle of the timer is satisfied by the other timing circuit referred to above which holds the ring rail in proper position for a good bunch during start-up. However, while cleaning around the machines on a weekend, a curious person may manipulate the switches when the frame is standing still, which could simulate a bear-down of the ring rail, causing the circuitry to respond to a false signal. Since the rail would not actually be in its home down position for a proper bunch, a lockout relay opens the power switches to the motor. The supervisor would then have to determine if a bad bunch had been involved, and a reset switch for the lockout relay is provided which also energizes the latching relay and the timed relay, which normally would have performed this function if the ring rail had been borne down properly and no false dotting signal had been given. Ten seconds of steady pressure are used to close the circuit, and this prevents accidental or playfully caused trouble. This additional timed relay in the locked compartment can be a simple tube timer, but the invention is not limited to any particular mechanism. The additional protection against tampering or accidental switch actuation is of advantage, and as the basic electrical connections of the present invention permit it with the addition of a cheap and simple tube relay, the preferred form of the invention can be cheaply provided, and so in most instances this is preferred, although the invention can be utilized without such an antitampering relay and such simplified forms are included in broader aspects of the invention. Because of the extremely low cost of the additional anti-tampering mechanism during shutdown, in almost every case this will be considered worthwhile.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a wiring diagram of the electrical connections of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a detail representation of a two-position switch actuated in its closed first position by a project on the ring rail; and

FIG. 3 is a similar detail view where the ring rail has moved up higher and the first switch is open and the second switch is closed before a first winding layer has been effected.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As the spinning frame itself with its conventional bobbin spindles, motor drive, ring rail, ring rail oscillating cam, and traverse chain is not changed by the present invention, FIGS. 2 and 3 show only the cam projection on the ring rail and the two-position switch operated by the ring rail. The rest of the spinning frame is not changed at all by the present invention and is, therefore, not shown.

The ring rail 1 is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 with projecting cam 2, which contacts the roller of a two-position switch 3. The switch 3 is shown in its electrical construction in the wiring diagram of FIG. 1. This switch has two pairs of rocking switches K and L and M and N, the latter being resettable through actuating coils J. FIG. 2 shows the switch 3 with the cam 2 of the ring rail 1 in which contact K of switch 3 is closed and contact L is open. In the position shown in FIG. 3, the cam 2 has moved up with the ring rail 1 to a position where contacts K of switch 3 are opened and L are closed.

Looking at the electrical connections on FIG. 1 it will be seen that power passes through a transformer 11 which runs from the line voltage of 550 volts for the whole spinning frame through conventional disconnect switches and fuses. The transformer 11 lowers the voltage to 1 volts, one end of the secondary being grounded and the other end going through a 2 amp breaker. Two terminals, marked with the ground symbol and for the other end of the transformer, receive the power. The other terminals, l2, l3, l4 and 15, are also present in the terminal block. From the ground terminal, connection goes to an interlock 9 of conventional design and connects through to terminal 13. The interlock 9 also connects ground to terminal 14. The connection connects to a movable contact of the full bobbin knock-off switch 10 and to the movable contact I of a control relay 4, the operation of which will be described below. The full bobbin knock-off switch when closed also connects the voltage to tenninal of the terminal block, thence to the fixed contact K of switch 3 and to a movable contact N of a latching relay 5, which will also be described below. Connection also goes to reset switch mechanism 7 for resetting frame stop and timer, as will also be described further on. A third connection of the voltage is to the movable contacts M and N of ring rail switch 3.

The operation of the full bobbin knock-off switch 10, which is actuated when a bobbin is fully wound, in general is similar to the same switch on conventional spinner frames. When the bobbin is fully wound the switch is open. It will be noted that this disconnects power from the terminal 15 and therefore the contact K of switch 3. It also disconnects from the frame stop timer reset 7, which prevents starting either frame drive or timer by accidentally striking the switch at a time when the full bobbin knock-off switch 10 has stopped the spinning frame for the doffingcycle.

Terminal 14, which is connected 'to ground, also grounds the movable contacts of a lockout relay 6 and through this relay movable contacts K and L of switch 3 and fixed contacts of switch F of the latching relay 5. It should be understood that FIG. 1 is not an electrical diagram of the whole spinning frame but only of those portions which are involved in the present invention. In an ordinary spinning frame, actuation of the full bobbin knock-off switch causes the ring rail to be borne down to the low position which is shown in FIG. 1. In this position switches K and N are closed, current flows through N, the coil J, on back to the ground terminal. This stops the frame drive. FIG. 1 shows the switch 3 in the position when the ring rail is down, in other words the position in FIG. 2. It also opens the contacts in an antitampering delay tube relay 16, which then closes the contacts after a certain time. The opening of the contacts J of relay 16 also breaks the circuit from the which connects through contacts I of the control relay 4 through terminal 12 to contacts A2 of a timed relay 8.

After the full bobbins have been doffed, switch 10, of course, is again closed. If the frame is then started and the traverse chain has been fully wound, the contact K in switch 3 remains closed for suflicient period of time for the tube in relay 16 to again close its contacts. This permits the positive end of the voltage passing through contact I of control relay 4 to go back through terminal 12, contacts A2 of timed relay 8 to the bottom coil of the latching relay 5, which is connected on through to ground terminal 13. This is the position shown in FIG. 1. The cycle of the timed relay 8 is such that when the ring rail is borne down with the traverse chain fully rewound, there will be sufficient time for the frame to wind a good bunch on each bobbin.

Finally, when the cam 2 has risen to the position shown in FIG. 3, contact K of switch 3 is opened, L is closed, N is opened, and M is closed. This activates the coil of control relay 4, closing switch contacts H, connecting ground to the movable contact F of latching relay 5, thus closing switch contacts F and permitting the motor to continue running, and winding proceeds through a normal winding cycle until finally the bobbins are full, knock-0E switch 10 is actuated and ring rail 1 is brought down to the bottom position, stopping the motor.

If the traverse mechanism has not been fully rewound, then when the ring rail starts to rise it goes through the position of FIG. 2 into the position of FIG. 3. This closes switch L, and there has been no time for the tube relay 16 to close its contacts. M, which has also been closed, sends current through the coil of the control relay 4, which closes switch contacts H. Signal then goes through contacts B2 of relay 8, B1 of the same relay, and contacts E, which energizes the bottom coil of lockout relay 6, opening the switch contacts D and stopping the motor. The motor cannot then be restarted until the frame stop reset at 7 is actuated, and this alerts the operator that a bad bunch is forming and he then is supposed to rewind the traverse all the way. Then when the frame stop is reset, the ring rail will be in the position shown on FIGS. 1 and 2; it will oscillate for awhile without rising sufficiently high to break the contacts K; the tube in relay 16 closes its contacts, and then this results in finally closing switch F when the ring rail has risen further, as has been described above in connection with a perfect operation.

If there is an accidental actuation of switches during cleaning or weekend shutdown, this will cause the contacts in the tube relay 16 to open, but the rail will not be in its borne down position and the shutting off of the motor occurs, as has been described above for the situation where the traverse chain has not been fully. rewound. This alerts the supervisor that the machine is not in proper condition to be started up normally, and the reset of the lockout relay will have to be deliberately operated for sufficient time, ten seconds, so that relay 16 will have a chance to close its contacts again. This will then reset the machine for starting a new winding cycle. The antitampering relay, therefore, prevents starting a cycle when by accidental actuation of switches, which might result in bad bunches when the machine is normally started.

The present invention is applicable to ring rail bearing frames on which a number of bobbins are wound in layers. Themost important single field is in spinning frames which have been described above, but the invention is applicable to other devices using a ring rail, for example ring twister frames.

I claim: a

1. In a ring rail bearing frame having means for winding bobbins, a ring rail which is gradually permitted to rise by traversing mechanism to wind the bobbins, full bobbin knockoff switch and mechanism actuated by the latter to bear down the ring rail and stop the frame drive, the improvement which comprises, a two-position switch having two pairs of contacts, means actuated by the ring rail in borne down position for actuating said switch in sequence, the actuation of the second pair of contacts being effected by a ring rail position above the position in which the traversing mechanism has been rewound fully to proper initial borne down position, the first pair of contacts starting a timing cycle, the timing being sufficient to permit winding a full bunch on each bobbin, the second pair of contacts, which are actuated by the ring rail in a position above initial borne down position, shutting off power for the frame drive if the timing cycle has not gone through its full time, latching relay means energized by the expiration of the timing cycle to latch on the frame drive even when the second pair of contacts have been actuated, a frame drive lockout relay actuated by the second pair of contacts if these contacts have been actuated by the ring rail before the expiration of the timing cycle and latching relay actuation, and means for resetting said locking relay.

2. An improved frame according to claim 1 in which a time delay means is provided with normally closed contacts, said time delay means on actuation momentarily opening the contacts and closing them only after expiration of the delay, said delay being shorter than that of the timing cycle of the relay so that actuation of the time delay means by the ring rail in borne down position will permit the time delay means to go through their cycle and again close their contacts before the time cycle has elapsed, said closed contacts carrying power to the latching relay so that momentary actuation of frame starter switches without actuation of the switch by ring rail beardown will not maintain frame drive and connecting means to the lockout relay actuating it to lockout the motor drive on momentary actuation of a starting switch for a shorter period than the delay mechanism.

3. An improved frame according to claim 2 in which the frame is a spinning frame.

4. An improved frame according to claim I in which the frame is a spinning frame.

* l i l 4 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,669,366 Dated June 13, 1972 Inventofl Marvin N; Trotter It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 3, line 5 change "project" to projection Signed and sealed this 12th day of February 1974.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHE R,JR. C. MARSHALL DANII Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

1. In a ring rail bearing frame having means for winding bobbins, a ring rail which is gradually permitted to rise by traversing mechanism to wind the bobbins, full bobbin knock-off switch and mechanism actuated by the latter to bear down the ring rail and stop the frame drive, the improvement which comprises, a two-position switch having two pairs of contacts, means actuated by the ring rail in borne down position for actuating said switch in sequence, the actuation of the second pair of contacts being effected by a ring rail position above the position in which the traversing mechanism has been rewound fully to proper initial borne down position, the first pair of contacts starting a timing cycle, the timing being sufficient to permit winding a full bunch on each bobbin, the second pair of contacts, which are actuated by the ring rail in a position above initial borne down position, shutting off power for the frame drive if the timing cycle has not gone through its full time, latching relay means energized by the expiration of the timing cycle to latch on the frame drive even when the second pair of contacts have been actuated, a frame drive lockout relay actuated by the second pair of contacts if these contacts have been actuated by the ring rail before the expiration of the timing cycle and latching relay actuation, and means for resetting said locking relay.
 2. An improved frame according to claim 1 in which a time delay means is provided with normally closed contacts, said time delay means on actuation momentarily opening the contacts and closing them only after expiration of the delay, said delay being shorter than that of the timing cycle of the relay so that actuation of the time delaY means by the ring rail in borne down position will permit the time delay means to go through their cycle and again close their contacts before the time cycle has elapsed, said closed contacts carrying power to the latching relay so that momentary actuation of frame starter switches without actuation of the switch by ring rail bear-down will not maintain frame drive and connecting means to the lockout relay actuating it to lockout the motor drive on momentary actuation of a starting switch for a shorter period than the delay mechanism.
 3. An improved frame according to claim 2 in which the frame is a spinning frame.
 4. An improved frame according to claim 1 in which the frame is a spinning frame. 